Bass Musician Magazine - 8th Anniversary Issue with Stu Hamm | Page 19
ways to bridge them together to make a solo
this show called Teatro Zinzanni that was sort of
bass piece interesting.
like Cirque de Soleil, theater with great actors
and performers with a live band. I ended up
How do you see yourself – as a solo
getting the gig and writing a bunch of music for
bass player or as a bass player who has
it. When I went into the audition I sight read,
advanced solo bass playing?
I read charts, and I followed the moves. The
M.D., a great, great musician named Norman
I feel the latter. Most of my work is just playing
Durkee, said, “Man, that was the best audition
bass…and I’m pretty good at it! A couple of off-
that I’ve ever seen in my years of doing things!”
handed compliments I’ve gotten: every year at
The fact of the matter was, if he had any sort
the NAMM show on Saturday night the acoustic
of popular rock, instrumental, or jazz view of
guitarist Muriel Anderson hosts a show called
music, because I was Stu Hamm, I probably
the All-Star Guitar Night, sponsored by TrueFire,
wouldn’t have even gotten the audition. He
the company that did my instructional videos.
would’ve said, “Oh man, that’s the guy that
For the last 4, 5, 6 years, Danny Gotlieb and I
plays ‘Foggy Mountain Breakdown’ on the
have been the house musicians and were called
bass” you don’t want him to play these songs
to play with acoustic harp players, straight
with a French singer!”
ahead blues players, rock shredders, country
dudes, surf dudes… We get to the show and
I certainly love to be challenged and interested
there’s no tapping or any of that nonsense or
in what I’m doing. If I do too much of one or the
solo bass crap, I just play bass and groove
other, I get bored. It’s fun to play solo; it gives
with Danny. And Brad Wendkos, the owner of
me a lot of freedom, but then there’s interacting
TrueFire says, “You know what? You’re a good
with other guys. The subliminal power that you
bass player!” Well, yeah, duh!
have as a bass player; it sort of directs what’s
going on behind the scenes on a certain level.
When I was in San Francisco, I auditioned for